What a forest fire taught me about “home.”

Welcome to Family Fun Friday. In case you missed my post last week, our family was evacuated due to forest fire.

Amazingly, by the grace of God, our home was spared. We were allowed home one week later, Tuesday morning at 11. The fire was stopped by firefighters only a few doors down from our home. Three neighbors on our street lost their homes. I took a picture of our neighbor’s yard and it is included below.

We are humbled and overwhelmed by the events of the past week and we are on our faces praising God that he would allow our home to be spared.

We are so grateful too for all the loving support from friends and family during our time of being evacuated. We are blessed indeed.

Due to these events, Diane over at MyLifeAsRobin’sWife will be the primary host for Family Fun Friday this week. If you’d like to read about the featured bloggers from last week, you’ll want to check them out on her blog. The Family Fun Friday post with featured bloggers should go up on Thursday afternoon.

Hopefully, by next week, I can resume a somewhat normal blogging schedule including hosting Family Fun Friday here at Happy and Blessed Home.

If you’d like to learn a bit more about my experience this week, you can read on as I share what the forest fire taught me about “home”.

I never thought I would see such devastation so close to home.

Fires that destroyed thousands of acres and over 500 homes… It’s the sort of thing you read about but never expect to happen in your area.

A fire that started only a few miles from where we live dessimated one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen and it took the homes of some of our beloved friends and neighbors. Green and lush parks where we’ve hiked or taken our children to play are now black with soot and ash.

Our hearts are broken.

We are humbled and amazed that our house is still standing. Kept secure by the hard work of firefighters, guardsmen, police officers and others; and spared by the hand of an almighty God. The fire “line” stopped only a few doors down from our house.

I am in awe. I can barely comprehend what has just happened.

Watching the news for the past several days as the fire raged on left me feeling shell-shocked. Being unable to grant my three-year-old’s request, “I want to go home now, mommy” left me feeling helpless.

I am so thankful for prayer. So thankful for family. So thankful for a warm hug, or tears shed together, or a community that cries out, “We will stand strong!” So thankful for a church that assembles aide even as I write. For friends who write and call to check on us – who offer toys, clothing, babysitting, whatever we need. THANK YOU. And thankful to God for his love – even through all this He was holding us, comforting us, giving us strength.

I’ve learned a few things about “home” through this experience.

It’s not the building, it’s the connection that our memory has to a place.

It’s not the stuff, it’s the hard work, time, energy and effort it took to pull it all together.

It’s not the bed, it’s the comfort, the familiarity, the place of refuge and rest.

It’s a place where you can safely walk around in the dark because you know where everything is.

The dinner table where you last sat to eat a meal with a loved one who recently passed away.

It’s the room where a baby was nursed or a toddler was rocked to sleep.

It’s so much more than a material “thing,” it’s a home.

The forest that burned will not be the same again in our lifetimes. The landscape is forever changed.

The landscape of our hearts – it is forever changed.

The things I grabbed for my children when we evacuated were things like favorite stuffed animals, blankets, books and toys, familiar and comforting. For myself, it included important papers but it also included things that were irreplaceable – photos (before digital), baby handprints & footprints, and one-of-a-kind gifts from people I love.

What the victims have lost is so much more than material things, they have lost their “home.” The familiar, the comfortable, the routine, the structure, the symbolic “things” that serve to represent memories, the place to have friends and family over… It’s not just “things.”

Plus, it’s time. Time that now has to be spent dealing with insurance companies, realtors, contractors, finding another place, replacing things… it’s all time.

No one gets out “ahead.” And many “things” can never be replaced.

Over the last week as I sat and watched countless homes burn to the ground I asked myself, “Where do you start when you have to start over?”

I know that for me, as I faced the grim reality that losing our home was a real possibility, my answer was to start with my faith. As I’ve written about recently, my faith has carried me through many difficult trials in my life. It’s that history that reminds me that the Lord is always with me and He is a place of refuge and rest even when the world is falling down around me. For an encouraging blog post on God’s promises even during times of great loss and difficulty I encourage you to read Pastor Steve Holt’s blog post “Type 1 Incident“. He is a man of great faith and his family was directly impacted by the CO fires.

Immediately following my faith is my relationships with others. My husband and my two children are my reasons to press on even when things get hard.

I am humbled and in awe of all the help we’ve been offered by family and friends. I had friends offer clothes, toys, a place to stay and so much more. We all need community. I owe a special thanks to my community for their love and support.

Home is the tangible things but it also the heart. My heart breaks and grieves alongside those who have lost so much. I am humbled and amazed by the events of the past week and I am awestruck by the kindness and generosity of community.

Thank you for being a part of Family Fun Friday – a place for bloggers to share their ideas for family friendly and fun activities. I treasure this community and I thank you for your prayers and support as I’ve walked through an unforgettable week.

More than ever I am reminded of the importance of family and spending time together. Whether I am reading to my boys, cooking for my family, traveling, or just sitting and eating a meal my husband and boys, family is always a place I call “home.” I pray you are blessed by all these wonderful ideas, and inspired to have some fun with your family this weekend. Thanks again for being a part of the Happy and Blessed Home community. I look forward to seeing what all these wonderful bloggers link up and share here.

In His Grip,

To leave a comment on any post just click the headline and it will take you to a page where you can scroll down and add your comment.

About MPruett

I'm passionate about enriching children's lives and bringing families together. HappyandBlessedHome.com is a website dedicated to offering encouragement for moms, preschool tools, free printables, easy recipes, party plans, home care tips, and ideas for family fun. You can find me on Twitter @MonicaPruett, on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/HappyAndBlessedHome/, or on Pinterest at: https://www.pinterest.com/happyblesshome/. I look forward to "seeing" you online.

Comments

Wow! Loved how you wrote what was really important. No matter what the challenge, it is faith in the Lord that will strengthen you and get you through difficult times.
Glad your home was spared! We have many friends that also needed to evacuate. Thinking and praying for your neighbors!
Thanks for hosting!

Such blessings to be spared. Looks like it was quick moving to only burn the forest floor & spare the trees. Dangerous work- I know all too well. These scenarios are our way of life & it’s heartbreaking to see each & every time. Continued prayers as you get settled back in.